A Longitudinal Study to Identify Factors Affecting PharmD Students’ Intention to Use Health Information Technology

ABSTRACT The University of Missouri—Kansas City (UMKC) School of Pharmacy once had a five‐year PharmD program. The school incorporated health information technology (HIT) content into the curriculum. This study tracked the first class of students to undergo the curricular changes, starting with their third year. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, the study objective was to identify factors affecting students’ intention to use HIT components in the third year, the fourth year, and the fifth year. The same survey was administered at each time point for three HIT components: Computerized Provider Order Entry, Pharmacy Information Systems, and Electronic Medication Administration Record. The survey included measures for five constructs (intention, attitude, subjective norm, self‐efficacy, and past experience), important others, and learning sources. The construct measures were calculated by averaging the respective items. Chi‐square tests were used to compare important others and learning sources across three time points. One‐way ANOVA and t ‐tests were used to compare the construct measures across different time points. Nine linear regression models were performed with intention as the dependent variable and attitude, subjective norm, self‐efficacy, and past experience as the independent variables. The class size was 114 in students’ third year of school, and the response rates at three time points were 63% ( n = 72), 48% ( n = 55), and 37% ( n = 42), respectively. One‐way ANOVA and t ‐tests showed significant differences for attitude, self‐efficacy, and past experience for each HIT component across time points. The nine regressions explained between 35% to 66% of the variance in intention, and subjective norm was a consistent intention predictor. Compared to the initial year of incorporating HIT content into the curriculum, the integration led to improved attitude, enhanced self‐efficacy, and a greater reliance on prior experience among the first cohort of PharmD students. Subjective norm consistently predicted intention to use three HIT components across three time points.